


The Teacher Becomes the Student

by theguineapig3



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 17:22:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20510684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theguineapig3/pseuds/theguineapig3
Summary: When Karol comes to Flynn and Yuri for romantic advice, they remember what it’s like to be young and inexperienced- and how far they’ve come since then.





	The Teacher Becomes the Student

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Bottom Yuri 2019 event on Tumblr, for the prompt "inexperienced."

“You want us to do _what_?”

Yuri and Flynn had taken a break from their combat training that afternoon, returning to the kitchen in the guild office for cold water and snacks to help them recharge. They always took advantage of the opportunity to spar when Flynn was visiting, but the summer heat in Dahngrest was stifling, especially with the humid air blowing in off the ocean, and it was nice to get out of the sun for a little while. Repede was splayed out on the floor with his tongue hanging out, enjoying the feeling of the cool floor beneath him, and Yuri and Flynn sat at the table and chatted as they cooled off. Their conversation had been interrupted, however, when they were joined by a familiar face and a not-so-familiar question.

“I-I just thought…” Karol fidgeted with his hands, his face burning red. Despite his tall stature and broad shoulders, there was still a youthful quality to his fifteen-year-old face, and he continued with a childlike nervousness in his voice. “…well, I have another date tonight, and I… I’ve never kissed anyone before, so I have no idea what I’d do if she wanted to… and you two always seemed so good at it, so… please, will you teach me how to kiss?”

There was a pause as Yuri considered what Karol was saying. “You mean,” he began, “you’ve been on four dates and you haven’t kissed her yet?”

“I-is that weird? The topic never came up! Does that mean she doesn’t like me-?”

“Yuri, please,” Flynn interrupted, slapping Yuri on the arm. “Don’t tease him. He’s come to us for advice during a very crucial point in his emotional development.” He looked back to Karol with a friendly smile. “You’re young, so it’s only natural you’d take things slow. If she’s spent this much time with you, I’m sure it means she’s quite taken with you.”

Karol perked up. “Y-you really think so?”

“Certainly. After all, what’s not to like about you?” Flynn turned his chair to face Karol properly. “We’ll be happy to teach you anything you want to know. Yuri, bring your chair over here, will you?”

“We’re doing this now?" 

"He said his date is tonight, didn’t he?”

Yuri groaned, but he stood up and dragged his chair over to sit beside Flynn anyway. It felt a little silly- shouldn’t kissing be something people discover on their own?- but since it was Flynn doing the teaching, he didn’t mind being part of the demonstration. 

Once Yuri was settled, Karol grabbed a chair and sat down in front of them. Repede had perked up, staring curiously, but didn’t move from his spot on the floor. “O-okay, um-” Karol began, waving his hands in abstract gestures, “-first of all, how do I know if she wants to kiss me? What do I look for?”

The question seemed to stump Flynn, and he considered it for a moment before answering. “Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. It’s different for everyone, and when it’s someone whose expressions and body language you aren’t completely familiar with, it’s hard to know for sure. Considering how early you are in your relationship, I believe the best course of action would be to ask her outright. If the mood feels right, just say- ‘can I kiss you?”

Karol had pulled out a little pad of paper and was making some notes. “I see. That makes sense.”

“Yeah, I guess it does,” Yuri broke in, “but it’s boring. If you ask it outright like that, you might come off as awkward. Just look in her eyes. Try to read her movements, sense what’s going through her head. You used to fight together in the Hunting Blades, right? You should be able to read her pretty well.”

“I… we didn’t really…” Karol stammered and covered his face with the notepad. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“No, no, no!” Flynn waved his hands, trying to sound reassuring. He glared over at Yuri in the meantime. “Yuri, stop confusing him! Can’t you see he’s nervous enough?”

“I’m just trying to give him advice that won’t get him dumped for being so uptight.”

Karol shot to attention. “Dumped?!”

“H-he’s just exaggerating!” Flynn replied, forcing a smile. “She’s not going to dump you for being upfront about your actions and respecting her boundaries. But she might-” He glared back at Yuri again. “-get mad if you misread her signals and kiss her when she doesn’t want you to.”

Yuri just shrugged. “Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. This advice session is going GREAT so far.”

Karol sighed and lowered his notepad again. “Let’s just move on. How do I actually go about kissing somebody? I mean, I know you just put your lips together, but… is that all? Or is there, like, a special way to do it?”

Yuri sat back, watching Flynn take over with his own overly-detailed explanation. It was kind of adorable, the way he was so excited to give advice. He’d always been the type who enjoyed training new recruits in the knights, and Karol was someone he’d cared for and mentored for years. From the looks of it, Flynn was enjoying this far more than Karol was.

“-so you can’t approach straight-on, you’ve got to come at an angle. You’re like me in that you have a big nose, so you need to pay extra attention to that.”

Yuri stifled a laugh as he watched Karol put a hand to his own nose with a mortified expression. Flynn didn’t seem to notice, however, and kept going with his usual enthusiasm.

“I’m not sure what your height difference is, so you’ll have to consider how to approach from a high angle and whether you’ll need to bend down or not. I can’t really speak to that since I’m used to being at Yuri’s level, but I’m sure it’ll make sense to you once you’re there. So now-”

“Hold on, hold on,” Karol broke in, frantically taking notes. “Let me get that down… okay. Now you can continue.”

“Boss, you do _not _need to write this stuff down,” Yuri groaned, but Flynn grabbed the sides of his face and turned him so that they were facing one another.

“You’ll want to watch for this part,” Flynn was saying, noticing Karol glued to his notepad. Flynn’s hands were still on Yuri’s cheeks, and that kept him from making any further comments on the absurdity of the whole lesson. “Angling your face isn’t just for keeping your noses out of each other’s way. If you look at their shape-” He put a finger to his own lips, then moved it to trace Yuri’s. “-you’ll notice that your lips fit better when they come together from an angle. I’ll demonstrate; feel free to stand up and get a different view if you need to.”

The demonstration part was the only reason Yuri had been going along with this whole thing, so he was happy to lean in and meet Flynn’s lips. For someone whose hands were so tough and calloused, Flynn’s lips were surprisingly soft, always offering a warm, pleasant sensation as they gave way for more. But this time… there wasn’t more. Flynn wasn’t even really kissing him, he was just resting his lips against Yuri’s and staying stiff as though they were posing for a photo. It was awkward, and Yuri wanted so badly to lean in and deepen it into an actual kiss. But he noticed Karol hovering around, sketching in his notepad, and the sight caused Yuri to pull away instead.

“Are you… _drawing diagrams_?” 

Karol stiffened and blushed again. “N-no!” he lied, quickly flipping the page and sitting back down in his seat. “So, um… how long do you stay like that? I mean, how long should a kiss be?”

“However long you want it to be-” Yuri began, but Flynn cut him off. 

“That’s a great question, Karol. It’s a difficult line to navigate, figuring out at what point a kiss ceases to be enjoyable and instead becomes awkward. As before, this is something that varies by situation and personal preference. However, you may have an easier time conceptualizing it as a mathematical model of diminishing returns-”

Yuri threw back his head and groaned. “Oh my _god_, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s not math, it’s just _kissing_. Stop whenever you feel like it.”

Flynn pouted. “I’m only trying to give him a solid foundation of knowledge to draw from. Things I wish someone had told me when I was his age. If you think you can do a better job at answering his questions, then go ahead.”

Yuri crossed his arms. “Fine, I will. Captain Karol? Next question.”

“U-um… that’s…” Karol’s blush had turned a shade darker, making him look more nauseous than embarrassed. “…er, the question is, what should I do with my hands? Should I just keep them by my sides, or hold her face like Flynn was holding yours earlier, or…?”

“I wouldn’t go for the face at this stage in your relationship,” Yuri answered. “But having your hands by your side is kind of awkward. For you, the best thing to do is go for her upper arms, almost at the shoulder.” He reached out and placed his hands lightly against Flynn’s arms. “You don’t want to grip, just kind of rest your hands against her. Imagine you want to get as close to her skin as possible without actually touching her.”

“Yes, I agree with Yuri,” Flynn added with a nod. “If you actually grab her, it might make her uncomfortable. This way you’re respecting her boundaries by giving her room to move.”

Yuri frowned and pulled his hands away. “_Actually_, I meant it as more of a seduction trick. If you just barely brush against someone’s skin, they’ll crave more. Like the slight feeling of a hand against your arm, or-” He glared over at Flynn. “-a fake-ass kiss where your lips barely even _touch_.”

“Is that what you’re mad about? I was doing a demonstration!”

“How do you expect him to learn if what you’re showing him is totally fake?”

“So you want to just kiss each other and let him figure it out on his own?”

“Yeah, I think that would be way more helpful than whatever the hell you were-”

Flynn took Yuri’s arms, actually gripping them against his own recommendation, and pulled him into a kiss. It was a real one this time, their lips pressed together sending sparks of warmth through Yuri’s body. He was content with that for a moment, reveling in the feeling that he’d been looking forward to since Flynn had arrived in the city that morning. But just as Flynn had said, there came a point of diminishing returns, and all Yuri could think of was the even greater warmth hiding behind those soft lips. Eager for more, he pushed his tongue between Flynn’s lips to open up his mouth-

-and Flynn pushed him away.

“Y-Yuri!” he gasped, covering his mouth. “That’s not appropriate for someone at Karol’s point in a relationship! Karol, don’t try that last part until you’re- wait, Karol?”

Yuri turned to look too, and found Karol across the room, sitting on the floor next to Repede with his back turned to them. He heard his name and turned his head to peek out of the corner of his eye.

“Are… are you finished? Sorry, I just felt like I shouldn’t be staring…”

“I’m sorry if we made you uncomfortable!” Flynn exclaimed. “We were doing it for your sake, Yuri just got a little carried away.”

“I got carried away?” Yuri demanded. “You’re the one who left permanent marks on my arms with your damn fingernails.”

“I did not!” Flynn snapped and then looked back to Karol. “We won’t get distracted again, I promise. Why don’t you ask another question?”

Karol stood up, shoving his notepad back in his pocket. “I, uh, actually think I’m gonna go talk to Judith now. N-no offense; you were super informative and helpful! It’s just, uh, she’s a girl, and… um…” He retreated over to the staircase with a quick wave. “C-catch you later, okay?”

There was a long pause as they listened to the sound of Karol descending the staircase and stumbling out the front door. Repede watched the stairs for a few moments more and then lay back down again. Yuri and Flynn, meanwhile, looked to one another in embarrassment.

“Wow, we really screwed that up,” Yuri sighed.

“I’ll have to apologize to Karol later,” Flynn murmured, hanging his head in shame. “I didn’t mean to be so technical about everything. I was just so excited that he asked us for advice, I got carried away.”

“You went into commandant mode, acting like you were training your knights,” Yuri laughed, patting Flynn on the head. “But I promise, you can relax around us. Big-brother Flynn is all Karol needs.”

“I didn’t mean to yell at you either. Your advice wasn’t wrong, it’s just hard for me to think of Karol being that… mature. It’s bad enough that every time I see him, he’s grown another few centimeters, but to think of him being in a relationship? Being intimate with someone the way you and I are?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Yuri answered with a grin. “He’s still a kid. It’s gonna be a long, _long _time before he’s on our level.”

Flynn finally raised his head, his smile reflecting Yuri’s. “I suppose we didn’t know what we were doing either when we were his age.”

“That’s an understatement.” Yuri stood up, grabbing his chair and moving it back around to the other side of the table where it belonged. “Just imagine where we’d be now if we’d had someone to teach us the ropes back then.”

Flynn stood up too, moving Karol’s chair back into place. “Oh, but there was fun in learning it ourselves. Figuring out what to do and how to do it, growing comfortable with each other’s interests and preferences- I wouldn’t have traded that for anything.”

“Would you, now?”

When Flynn turned around to return to his own seat, he instead found himself face to face with Yuri, blocking his path and pressing his body up against Flynn’s. The exchange had been funny in a strange way, but it had also been frustrating- first the weird almost-but-not-quite kiss, and then the real kiss cut off just before it had really gotten good. It wasn’t fair, and he expected Flynn to make it right.

“I wonder,” Yuri continued, his arms around Flynn’s neck and his face close enough to feel Flynn’s uneven breath against his skin, “if we could recapture that novelty. Pretend we’re back at the beginning, still figuring each other out. We might even discover something new. What do you think?”

“I think,” Flynn began, his voice somewhat strained, “that while it sounds nice in theory, it just wouldn’t work. I know you too well, know every inch of your body inside and out-” 

At that last part, Flynn placed one hand against Yuri’s cheek and the other on his waist. It sent an eager shiver through Yuri’s body, and he knew Flynn could feel it.

“-and I just don’t know if I could pretend not to. It’s too natural by this point.”

Yuri bit his lip, thinking it over. The idea of experimenting like naive teenagers again had seemed interesting at first, but it wasn’t like they were strangers to trying new things. Flynn regularly brought new elements of surprise into their lovemaking, and the fact that he knew Yuri so well was what made it fun. Playing ignorant wouldn’t do them any favors. But this strong, authoritative side of Flynn, the one that insisted he knew Yuri _inside and out_… that was something Yuri needed more of.

“Then how about this?” Yuri finally replied. “If you know my body so well, why don’t you give me the grand tour?”

“What do you mean?” Flynn’s expression hinted that he knew what Yuri was getting at, but he wanted to be sure. He wanted to hear it from Yuri.

“I mean-” Yuri glanced over at the step-ladder leading up to the attic and then back at Flynn. “-carry me to my bed and show me just how well you know my body. Show me all your favorite spots, all the things you like to do, all the places you like to touch. Take me the way you always do and explain every little detail like the expert you are.”

Yuri’s appeal seemed to trigger something in Flynn, some deeper desire that Yuri could physically feel as Flynn hoisted him in his arms and carried him up to Yuri’s bedroom. Repede had never been good at noticing when his presence was unnecessary, but this time even he gave them only one glance before deciding he could stay in his nice cool spot on the floor. 

Yuri hadn’t been a particularly good student when he was younger, but today he was more attentive than ever. Flynn was the perfect guide, leaving nothing out as he methodically surveyed Yuri’s body- every detail of his skin, every scar, every sensitive spot that could elicit a less-than-subtle reaction. Yuri paid close attention to Flynn’s words even when it became near impossible, when Flynn found those same familiar gaps- both emotional and physical- and filled them the soft, loving way that only he knew how.

They stayed holding each other for as long as they could afterward, basking in the glow of each other’s adoration until finally, the clock downstairs chimed, indicating that it was time for Yuri to start making dinner. There was one less mouth to feed with Karol off on his date, but that was offset by Flynn, who Yuri knew from experience could be particularly ravenous after a session like this one. Knowing that neglecting his dinner duties would get him in trouble in more ways than one, Yuri pulled himself from the bed, washed up, and pulled his clothes back on, all so he could go downstairs and pretend he hadn’t just been taught the most fantastic lesson of his life.

Flynn helped clean up after dinner, and the two were still tidying the kitchen when Karol strolled back inside, lazily settling down at the dinner table and leaning against the tabletop. Yuri noticed his dreamy smile and nudged his shoulder.

“Looks like somebody had a good date. Did our advice come in handy?”

Karol opened his eyes, some of his earlier embarrassment coming back. “Well, uh, yes and no.”

“Yes and no?”

“_She_ kissed _me_.”

Yuri raised his eyebrows and gave Karol an encouraging slap on the back. “That’s my boss!”

“Y-Yuri…”

“Congratulations, Karol,” Flynn added with a smile. “I told you she was fond of you.“

“Y-yeah. I guess there was nothing to be nervous about after all. Boy, was I surprised. But thanks to your advice, I think I managed not to mess it up.”

Flynn and Yuri glanced at one another, and Flynn drew closer to sit down next to Karol. “Yuri and I want to apologize for earlier.”

Karol sat up, his expression growing confused. “What do you mean? You helped a lot-”

“We didn’t, really. I was too technical about everything and Yuri was too vague. We’re so used to reading one another that we couldn’t translate our experiences into advice that would suit someone else. That wasn’t fair to you, and we’re sorry.”

“I-it’s okay, really!” Karol blushed and waved his hands. “You were more helpful than Judith, at least.”

Yuri laughed, leaning against the back of Karol’s chair. “We’re always happy to give you advice, but next time it’s about relationship stuff, why don’t you give us a bit more notice? That way we can figure out exactly what to say before we say it.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks.”

“And-” Flynn leaned across the table. “-don’t be too embarrassed to ask us about _anything_. We’re here to help you, not judge you.”

“He’s right,” Yuri agreed, leaning over the chair as well. “This girl of yours seems like the type to take what she wants. If you’ve got questions about more intimate matters, you’d better ask sooner rather than later-”

“You know what?!” Karol’s face had flushed a deep red, and he scrambled out of the chair awkwardly as he tried to keep from knocking Yuri over. “I’d love to stay and talk about this, but I, uh… I just remembered that I’ve got job reports from last week that I haven’t finished… and they’re due back to the Union tomorrow morning, so, uh… I’m gonna… go do that now…”

Yuri and Flynn watched as Karol retreated to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Yuri and Flynn stared at the door for a moment before Flynn let out a sigh and Yuri laughed again.

“Looks like we’re 0 for 2,” Yuri commented, sitting down in the chair Karol had vacated. “But I think he’s gonna be okay.”

“He’s still a child, isn’t he?”

“Yep. He’s got a lot to figure out. But that’s what this time of his life is all about, isn’t it?”

Flynn smiled and reached across the table to take Yuri’s hand. “I hope that someday he finds someone who knows him as well we know each other.”

“That’s a lofty goal,” Yuri scoffed. “There’s no one out there who knows anything as well as you know me.”

“You think?”

Yuri motioned over towards his room. “After that demonstration? I _know_.”

The two stared at one another in silence for a moment before Flynn spoke up again.

“I wonder… within the knights, any certification must be regularly renewed to prevent it from lapsing. I may have to periodically demonstrate my credentials, just to make sure they’re up to date.”

Yuri laughed. “I never thought anyone could actually make all those administrative words sound sexy, but you are full of surprises, Flynn Scifo.”

“And you, Yuri Lowell, are _not_.”

Which was exactly how it should be.


End file.
